We recently saw the relatively light treatment given a Wisconsin juror who walked out of deliberations in a major criminal case to enjoy a vacation in Cancun. The same does not appear to hold true for lawyers who are accused of skipping out on trials, it appears. Lawyer M. Tayari Garrett was convicted of misdemeanor contempt for skipping a trial last year to attend her brother’s wedding in Paris. She was given one year probation and a $1000 fine.
Garrett, who divides her time between Texas and Minnesota, was convicted of intentionally skipping a mortgage fraud trial. Garrett and Judge William Howard had various confrontations in the case, and Garrett sought his removal. She later accused Howard and the prosecutors of colluding to create evidence against her in the contempt case.
Garrett asked Howard to change her client’s trial date. He refused to do so and Garrett missed the first day of the trial to attend the wedding in Paris.
Garrett, 37, is reportedly an adjunct professor at the University of St. Thomas School of Law and an adjunct writing instructor at William Mitchell College of Law. I was unable to confirm the positions at the website of either school where her name does not appear with the adjuncts.
Efay Martin-Mahuru was accused of helping several people in a $2.8 million mortgage fraud scheme in Minnesota. The trial was set for May 2, 2011. Garrett asked Howard for continuances in March and April. Notably, five days before Howard denied the April motion, Garrett bought her airline ticket to France.
Garrett however insisted that she was hospitalized the day before trial and her travel after her hospitalization was “immaterial.”
Source: Star Tribune as first seen on ABA Journal
Swarthmore mom-
Bernie Sanders is an “independent” because there is no credible Socialist party in the United States. Also, because the intelligence level in America has fallen so low that the vast majority has no idea what Socialism is, but they know with absolute certainty that they hate Socialists and would kill them all, given the opportunity.
anonymously posted-
Excuse me for my late reply. I found your linked story on RT’s coverage of Hillary Clinton’s unease about the growth of RT, Al Jazeera, and the potential growth of the Chinese English-language TV network very interesting. I have occasionaly gone to Al Jazeera online for coverage of Middle Eastern and other news that was not being covered here in depth- or at all- particularly the Wikileaks story. I have found the reporting on Al Jazeera to be first rate, although I haven’t spent a lot of time there.
Someone here, not too long ago, provided a link to a round table discussion on Al Jazeera of about 8 American political commentators of widely diverse opinions which I found absolutely amazing. 46 minutes of interesting questions, intelligent answers, and no b.s. talking points- and , best of all, no interruptions for commercials. Can you imagine? A real revelation to those of us who are accustomed to political “discussions” consisting of a Republican party hack and a Democratic party hack shouting platitudes at each other- followed by 3 car insurance commercials and Fonzie selling reverse mortgages.
Henman? Bobcats? Ne’min’, fog’s gone by noon.
Was someone she represents in jail while she was off to Paris?